Sudan: army foils coup attempt by retired officers

Flag of Sudan [File photo]

A senior Sudanese army officer announced on Tuesday that a coup attempt by retired officers and members of the Popular Defence Forces (PDF) was thwarted last week, Anadolu has reported. No official comment on this has been issued by the government in Khartoum as of the time of writing.

“The coup attempt was led by retired Brigadier General Mohammed Ibrahim Abdul-Jalil, known as Wad Ibrahim,” said the officer, who requested anonymity. He claimed that Wad Ibrahim plotted the coup with a number of retired officers, members of the PDF, and former militants.

He confirmed the arrest of an unspecified number of officers, adding that the detained military personnel were not among the major planners of the coup. No further details about them were provided. Due to the complex security, political, and economic situation in Sudan, the coup officers apparently relied on public opinion along with the enthusiasm of the PDF members and ex-militants.

The PDF was established by ousted President Omar Al-Bashir, months after he took power in his own 1989 coup. There are around 30,000 members. After the ouster of Al-Bashir, the army leadership gave the PDF soldiers the choice to become soldiers in the Sudanese army or be discharged.

The former militants fought in the civil war before the secession of South Sudan in 2011. They are also known to have been involved in the fighting in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan provinces.

“A proxy coup [without identifying the parties involved] will not succeed unless sufficient equipment is secured,” added the source. He pointed out that this latest coup attempt is relatively insignificant and differs from others in Sudan in terms of planning and steps taken.

“The army will not allow any coup attempt, and we know the parties who planned this coup to achieve their goals,” he insisted. “Even if a coup succeeds, it would not be able to earn the international community’s recognition, and the planners and executors of the plot would be boycotted by neighbouring states.”

On 12 July last year, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) announced that it had foiled a coup attempt, without disclosing the identity of its leader. Seven serving officers and five of their retired colleagues, along with four non-commissioned officers and the coup leader were arrested. This was apparently the third failed coup attempt in a few months.